Salli saddle chairs offer an unburdened, standing-like, and active way to sit in balance, and there are a few things we would like to share with you to make sure you are using your chair to its full potential and to limit discomfort. Discover the secrets of the healthiest sitting option on the market.
Not comfortable?
In the beginning you may feel backaches and muscles soreness. Also, your inner thighs may feel tight, and the area around your sitting bones sore. The reason is that you have a new posture. The sitting pressure (see image) on a saddle chair is guided away from soft tissues and the pelvic opening, towards the bone structures instead.
Those discomforts are normal as your body adapts to sitting in a new position and unlearning many years of conventional sitting. Give yourself up to a couple of weeks to adapt to your new norm. Then, your body will thank you.
Sit on & get off
When sitting on and getting off your saddle chair, stand beside the chair, lift one leg over the chair, from the back, to the other side of the chair and sit down.
To get up, move your feet slightly forward and stand up. This way, the chair remains behind you.
Sit high enough
At first, lift the saddle chair, so your feet are not touching the floor. Let your pelvis relax, and your thighs hang freely and stretch for a minute. Then lower the chair slowly until your feet are firmly on the floor. Aim for a 135-degree angle in the knees and between the thighs and the upper body. The wide angle enables you to tilt your pelvis forward and maintain the natural curve in your lower back.
If you are sitting too low, you may keep your feet in the front, not on the sides, and this often results in a slouched position and the rounding of the back.
If you're sitting too high, the tendency is that the whole weight of the upper body is on the sitting bones, you cannot place your feet firmly on the floor, and thus your feet don't carry any of the weight.
Sit at the back
When sitting on your saddle chair, your buttocks should be at the back edge of the chair. If you sit too far in the front, the edges of the middle gap press the inner thighs and genital area. In the proper position, the sitting bones are in the softest place on the seat, where the thickest padding is.
Having your weight on the sitting bones instead of the soft tissue increases blood circulation.
Feet on the sides
Riding-like sitting is aiming at the same position as standing: when looked at from the side, the shoulder, pelvis, and heel are on the same line.
If the feet are in the front, the back is often rounded into the wrong position. Moving the feet to the sides makes the pelvis tilt forward, enabling the natural curve in the lower back and straightening the whole back.
Table and monitor height
On Salli, you are sitting higher than on a traditional chair, which usually means that the standard (28-30 inch) tables are too low. The chair is of no use if you have to slouch towards the table, so you need to raise the table somehow. Salli's best friend is an adjustable desk that can adjust to your proper height.
Pay also attention to the height of the monitors so that you don't lower your head forward. The head weighs several kilos and quickly makes the neck muscles tense, disturbing the circulation into the head. As a result, the brain doesn't get enough oxygen, you get tired, get headaches, and have neck strain.
Seat width
You can adjust the width of the seat if you own a SwingFit or MultiAdjuster, so that it suits you best. However, you cannot adjust the width while sitting on the chair. Instead, sit at the back of the chair, lift up the Salli handle in the front of the seat. To make the seat wider, turn the knob to the left; turn the knob to the right to make it narrower. Finally, lock the width by pressing the handle back down. Always use the knob for this adjustment!
Seat swing
You can adjust the swing mechanism on the Swing and the Swingfit. For example, if you find the factory default adjustment of the seat too loose or too tight, adjust the swing mechanism to find the movement comfortable.
Seat tilt
You can adjust the tilt of your chair if you own a MultiAdjuster or Twin. Release the lever on the left-hand side under the seat, and press the front of the chair slightly with the other hand to tilt the seat. You can put the seat back into its even position by releasing the lever and pulling the front of the chair upward. The seat will lock into the position where you release the lever. The adjustment can be a bit stiff in the beginning
Move on
You can move sidewayseasily when you push with one foot and pull with the other. Make use of the swing mechanism of Salli Swing and Salli SwingFit, roll on the chair to fetch things, walk while talking on the phone, exercise for a couple of minutes, work standing at times. The more you move, the better you'll feel!
If you would like to learn more about the Salli Saddle chairs, discover our Salli Collection and if you have any questions, reach out to us!
Getting started with your Salli chair in dental care?
Here's what you can do in a step by step approach:
